Russia invites US to compete in shooting match . . . using tanks

Putting a twist on an Olympic sport, Russia is holding a biathlon – with tanks – and wants the U.S. to enter the competition.

The first-time event taking place this week has competitors from Russia, Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan racing T-72 tanks around a 13-mile track and shooting at five targets. Tanks that miss the targets must take a 1,600-foot penalty lap, The Telegraph reports.

Russian Lt. Gen. Ivan Buvaltsev likened the event to a spectator sport.

“Spectators who come to visit us can watch not just a show, but a competition between real men on real tanks,” he said, according to Stuff.co.nz.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told RIA Novosti Saturday that U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel accepted an invite to compete in next year’s tank biathlon after a meeting in Washington on Friday with Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. But the Department of Defense has not commented on the invite yet.

Click here to watch video of the event.

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